Fulvous-crowned Scrub Tyrant

Overview

The fulvous-crowned scrub tyrant, or tawny-crowned pygmy-tyrant (Euscarthmus meloryphus), is a small bird belonging to the family Tyrannidae. It is currently assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and has a very large range with a population believed to be increasing.

Identification

• Measures 9 to 12 cm in length and weighs 5 to 10 g.
• Features a drab brownish crown with a weak crest and hidden rufous central feathers, along with dull buffy to whitish lores and eye-rings.
• Upperparts are drab brownish with dusky wings that have rufous tips on the coverts, while the underparts are grayish white on the throat and breast, becoming creamy yellow on the belly.
• Characterised by a 'dry, scratchy' song described as 'plee-plit-irick' repeated endlessly, often sung in duet by pairs from deep within cover.

Habitat

Found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, the species inhabits dry to arid open landscapes such as scrublands, shrublands, forest edges, and fields with scattered bushes. Its distribution is disjunct, with the two subspecies widely separated, and it breeds at elevations ranging from sea level to 1,500 m.

Diet

The diet consists mostly of small arthropods and includes small fruits. The bird forages on and near the ground in dense vegetation, typically singly or in pairs, by gleaning from perches and hovering briefly after short upward flights.

Did you know?

The bird is a 'distinctively noisy species' that is 'more likely to be heard than seen'. Its nest is an open cup made from plant fibers, bark, lichens, and seed down, suspended between thin twigs in a dense shrub.